LESSONS    DERIVED    FROM 

THE    PLANF. 

h  Mutdmndt  §>mun. 


PREACH KI)    HKFORE   THK 


COLLEGE  OF  NEW  JERSEY, 

JUNE  26,   1870, 
By    JAMES 'mcCOSH,    D.I)..    LL.I)., 

PRESIDENT  OK  THE  COLLEGE. 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 

STELLE  .V  SMITH,  PUHLISHERS  AND  BOOKSELLERS. 

1870. 


FlilOE,    25    cEisrxs. 


LESSONS    Dl'RIX  i:i)    IKo.M 

THK    PLANT. 


i)|$  ]33nrrii.Iii.iiini.fi^  'Bmmn 


rUEAClIKI)    HKKOHE   THK 


COLLEGE  OF  NEW  JERSEY, 

JUNE  26,   1870, 
By    JAMES  \l(  COSH,    D.D..    LL.H., 

PRESIDENT  OF  THE  COLLEGE. 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 

STKM.E    A    SMITH,    I'UBLISIIKUS    AND    HooKSKLI.KHS. 

1870. 


pRiNcivroN,  June  27,  1S70. 
RKV.  DR.  McCOSH, 
Dear  Sir  : — 
The  undcisisned,  in  behalf  of  the  Senior  Class,  respectfully  request  for  publica- 
tion a  copy  of  your  Baccalaureate  Sermon  delivered  June  26,  1870. 

Vciy  Reipectfu'ly,  JOS.  C.  GUERNSEY. 

JOHN  T.  SIIELBV. 

Roirr.  M.  a(;new. 


Princeton,  July  16,  1870. 
Gentlemen  : — 

I  consent  to  the  proposal,  which  your  kindness  has  led  you  to   make,  solely  in 

the  ho|.e  that  the  Discourse,  not  from  any   merit  in  it,  but  from  the  circumstances 

in  which  it  was  delivered,  may  raise  pleasant  recollections  and  profitable  thoughts 

in  the  minds  of  the  members  o(  the  class,  as  they  read  it  now  or  at  any  future  time. 

Yours  Ever,  JAMES  McCOSH. 


s  i:  \l  M  0  N 


"  Wlierefore,  if  God  so  clothe  tlie  grass  of  the  lichl,  which  to-day  is  and 
to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven,  shall  he  not  much  more  clothe  you,  O  ye  of 
little  faith  ?"     Matt.  VI.,  30. 

The  inspired  writers  are  in  the  way  of  employing  all 
die  objects  in  nature  with  which  we  are  familiar,  in 
order  to  illustrate  spiritual  truths.  Solomon  sends  the 
slothful  man  to  the  ant,  "  Go  to  the  ant  thou  sluggard." 
Isaiah  makes  the  ox  and  ass  rebuke  the  ingratitude  of 
the  professing  people  of  God,  "  The  ox  knoweth  his 
owner,  and  the  ass  his  master's  crib,  but  Israel  doth 
not  know,  my  people  doth  not  consider."  A  greater 
than  Solomon  and  all  the  prophets,  sends  those  who 
distrust  God's  providence  to  the  lilies  of  the  field,  and 
the  fowls  of  heaven.  "  Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field, 
they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin,  and  yet  I  say  unto 
you  that  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not  equal  to  one 
of  these." 

All  this  exercised  a  most  beneficent  influence  on  pious 
men  in  ancient  Israel.  Living  as  they  did  much  in  the 
open  air,  and  in  perpetual  view  of  the  wondrous  works 
of  God  in  earth  and  sky,  nature  was  seen  by  them  to 
be  full  of  God  ;  the  grass  sprang,  the  flowers    bloomed. 


the  wheat  and  barley  yielded  their  increase,  and  the 
vine,  the  fig  and  the  olive  their  rich  fruit,  all  in  obedi- 
ence to  God's  command,  and  as  they  did  so  they  shewed 
forth  the  glory  of  God,  as  well  as  furnished  nourish- 
ment to  his  creatures.  Would  that  the  example  set  by 
Hebrew  shepherds  and  husbandmen  as  they  tended 
their  flocks,  or  pruned  their  vineyards, would  induce 
those  who  live  much  among-  the  works  of  nature  to 
take  like  elevated  views.  The  works  of  nature  would 
afford  a  higher  and  nobler  pleasure  when  thus  con- 
nected with  God  and  Divine  things,  than  when  associ- 
ated merely  with  professional  work,  and  sordid  earthly  so- 
licitudes. Would  that  It  would  lead  those  who  delight 
to  study  the  operations  of  nature,  or  who  go  forth;  from 
our  towns  at  such  season  of  the  year  as  this  to  walk 
among  the  scenes  of  the  country,  to  take  a  higherview 
than  they  do  who  look  to  mere  mechanical  laws,  and 
make  them  regard  all  natural  objects  as  truly  works  of 
God,  and  capable  of  Imparting  spiritual  instruction.— 
There  is  not  an  object  in  the  mineral,  the  vegetable,  or 
animal  kingdoms,  which  is  not  capable  of  being  thus 
enlisted  into  the  service  of  Christ. 

The  plant,  In  particular,  has  been  much  employed  by 
the  Inspired  writers  to  convey  spiritual  lessons.  The 
life  of  the  plant  seemed  to  them  like  the  spiritual  life 
in  the  soul ;  the  rain  and  dew  that  nourished  it,  remind- 
ed them  of  the  grace  which  comes  down  from  heaven  ; 
the  flowers  which  adorned  it  taught  them  that  the  soul 
should  be  adorned  with  heavenly  graces  ;  and  the  fruit 
which  it  yielded  admonished  them  that  they  too  must 
bring  forth  fruit  unto  God.  The  lesson  of  this  day  is  drawn 
from  th('  j)lants  ;  Christ  himself  is  the  teacher,  and  the 


grassand  lilies  arc  the  lesson-hook.  TIu!  (^^reatest  of  all 
teachers  is  employing  his  works  as  symhols,  figures,  or 
models  to  instruct  us  in  heavenly  truth.  Let  us  attend 
while  He  speaks.  Four  topics  will  open  to  us  as  we 
advance. 

First,  we  are  called  to  consider  the  works  of 
God,  and  in  particular  the  plants,  the  lilies  and 
the  grass  oe  the  field. — "  Consider."  says  he,  "  the 
Hlies  of  the  field."  There  are  many  who  do  not  con- 
sider them.  Some  of  these  persons  are  fond  of  seeing 
or  possessing  fine  specimens  of  human  workmanship 
in  dress,  in  furniture,  or  houses,  or  paintings,  but  they 
"  regard  not  the  works  of  the  Lord,  nor  the  operations 
of  his  hands."  "  And  yet  I  say  unto  you  that  Solomon 
in  all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these."  We 
are  to  mark  them,  we  are  to  mark  how  they  grow.  All 
persons  who  have  eyes  to  see  may  see  it,  widi  or  with- 
out book  learning,  whether  they  have  or  have  not  been 
at  schools  or  colleees. 

They  may  in  particular  observe  two  things. 
First,  every  part  of  the  plant  is  made  to  serve 
an  end.  "They  toil  not,  neither  dq  they  spin," 
yet  every  organ  of  the  plant  has  its  use.  Look  at  that 
swelling  tree  that  overshadows  us,  or  at  this  graceful 
lily  at  our  feet.  It  has  roots  which  serve  a  purpose. 
These  roots  penetrate  into  the  soil  and  draw  nourish- 
ment from  it.  They  spread  out  downwards  as  the 
trunk  and  branches  mount  upward, and  enable  the  tree, 
the  oak  for  example,  to  stand  the  storms  of  a  hundred 
winters.  The  form  of  the  bole  of  a  tree  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  it  fixes  itself  in  the  ground,  is  said  to  have 
yielded  some  suggestions  to  a    celebrated    engineer  in 


8 

the  construction  of  a  famous  lighthouse.  You  may  re- 
mark how  the  tree  springs  up  from  the  ground  as  a 
stem  or  trunk,  on  which  hancrall  the  branches  and  flow- 
ers  and  seed  and  fruit.  This  trunk  as  it  mounts  up- 
wards spreads  out  all  around  into  the  air  as  branches 
and  branchlets.  These  are  covered  with  leaves,  re- 
joicing in  the  sunshine  and  the  moisture  of  dew  and 
rain,  and  drawing  in  nourishment  from  the  atmosphere. 
Upon  these  at  the  proper  season  you  may  look  for 
and  find  flowers  to  delight  the  eye,  and  seed  wherewith 
to  propagate  other  plants  after  their  kind,  and  fruit  for 
the  sustenance  of  God's  creatures.  It  is  obvious  to 
every  reflecting  mind  that  in  this  Divine  workmanship, 
every  part  has  its  use  and  its  end.  The  architect  of  a 
famous  palace  confesses  that  he  derived  some  of  the 
ideas  embodied  in  that  structure,  from  observing  the 
wonderful  provision  made  for  bearing  up  the  very 
broad  leaf  of  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  ourlilies.  But 
there  is  another  principle  to  be  observed  in  the  plant. 
Secondly.  There  is  visible  in  the  plant,  an  order, 
an  ornament.  Special  reference  is  made  to  this  by 
Him  who  made  them  ("  by  whom  also  he  made  the 
world,")  and  who  now  uses  them  to  teach  us  lessons. 
God  is  said  not  only  to  have  made,  but  to  have  clotJied 
the  grass  of  the  field.  While  every  part  of  the  plant 
has  its  use,  it  has  also  a  clothing,  it  is  clothed  with 
beauty  to  minister  to  our  delight,  and  manifest  the 
divine  glory.  So  far  as  we  know,  the  plant  could 
have  fulfilled  all  its  other  and  ordinary  functions,  with- 
out its  having  such  an  elegance  of  form,  or  garniture 
of  colouring.  'T  say  unto  you  that  Solomon  in  all  his 
glory  was  not  arrayed  as  one  of  these."   It  can  be  shown 


that  every  plant,  and  every  or^an  of  the  jjlant  is,  as  it 
were,  constructed  upon  a  model  or  |)attern  in  die  Hi- 
vine  mind.  Look  at  the  full  formed  tree,  (n-owin*'' 
apart  from  all  other  trees,  and  )-ou  see  at  once  that  it 
is  made  to  grow  up  into  a  particular  form,  and  this 
form  is  beautiful  to  look  upon.  It  can  he  shown  that 
every  tree  takes  its  own  peculiar  form — a  form  after 
its  kind,  and  if  not  interfered  with  that  form  is  lovely. 
Look  at  the  llowx^r  of  the  lily  or  any  other  plant, 
and  in  every  part  of  it,  its  stalk,  its  petals  and  inner 
organs,  In  their  forms,  and  in  the  way  in  which  they 
are  placed,  there  are  obvious  order  and  ornament  to 
call  forth  our  admiration  and  our  praise.  Then  what 
richness  of  colouring  in  the  ilower.  First  of  all  every^ 
colour  is  beautiful  in  itself,  and  those  colours  which  are 
accordantare  placed  alongside  of  eachotherin  pleasing 
melody  or  exciting  harmony.  It  needs  science  to  explain 
all  this,  to  shew  how  it  arises,  and  point  out  the  causes 
of  it,  but  it  needs  no  science  to  enable  us  to  observe  it 
or  enjoy  it ;  the  eye  perceives  it  spontaneously  and 
drinks  in  the  beauty;  and  it  needs  only  piety  to 
enable  us  to  turn  all  this  into  an  anthem  of  praise. 
This  clothing  of  the  plant  meets  us  everywhere.  Take 
the  commonest  plant,  the  weed  that  grows  on  the  com- 
mon, the  seaweed  that  cleaves  to  the  rocks  washed  by 
the  ocean,  or  the  fern  that  springs  up  in  the  mountain 
glen,  and  you  may  observe  in  its  structure,  its  leaves 
and  all  its  pendicles  a  wonderful  correspondence  of 
side  to  side,  and  a  counterbalancing  of  one  part  by 
another.  Let  die  eye  travel  over  nature  as  we  walk 
among  the  cultivated  fields,  or  on  the  grassy  slopes 
and' valleys  of  our  upland  districts  ;  or  among  the  thick 


lO 

woods  where  the  winds  have  sown  the  seeds,  and  bush 
and  tree  of  every  kind  spring  up,  each  eager  to  main- 
tain its  place  and  shew  its  separate  form  and  beauty, 
and  we  discover  an  order  and  a  loveHness  in  every 
branch  and  blade  and  leaf  and  colour.  Pluck  the  leaf 
and  flower  and  consider  it ;  and  observe  how  one  edee 
has  the  same  number  of  notches  in  it  as  the  other  edge  ; 
and  what  nice  balancings  and  counterpoises  there  are; 
and  how  nicely  the  lines  and  dots  and  shadings  meet 
each  other  and  recur  each  at  Its  proper  place  ;  as  if 
all  had  been  done  by  the  most  exact  measurement  and 
under  the  most  skilful  and  tasteful  eye.  Enter  the 
rich  arbour  or  the  cultivated  garden,  and  observe  how 
the  flowers  have  been  enlarged  or  Improved  by  the 
care  which  has  been  taken  of  them,  and  In  this  gayer 
colour,  and  In  that  fuller  expanse,  and  more  flowing 
drapery  and  richer  fragrance,  mark  how  God,  who  re- 
wards us  for  opening  our  eyes  and  looking  abroad  upon 
his  works  holds  out  a  still  greater  reward  to  those,  who 
In  love  to  Him  or  In  love  to  them  take  pains  with 
them  and  bestow  labour  upon  them. 

Now  all  thisfitness,  and  all  this  order  and  beauty  tes- 
tify of  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God.  All  these  objects 
point  upward  to  their  God  and  to  our  God.  Every 
tlower  that  expands  Itself  to  the  sun,  every  branch, 
every  blade  of  grass  and  every  leaf  that  throws  out  its 
points  to  the  air  and  sky,  should  raise  these  earthward 
looks  of  ours,  and  carry  up  our  thoughts  to  the  place 
where  God  dwelleth,  and  where  we  hope  to  dwell  for- 
ever. As  our  eyes  were  given  us  to  behold  these 
beauties  so  our  hearts  were  given  us  to  cherish  admi- 
ration, adoration  and  gratitude,  and  our  voices  to  praise 
Him  who  made  th(.'m  all. 


II 

These  works  ofCjod  can  also  serve  other  reliLnous 
ends.  They  may  be  used  as  lesson  books,  they  are  thus 
used  by  Christ  to  instruct  us  in  threat  spiriuial  Irullis. 
Naturemay  thus  be  sanctified,  and  be  made  to  teach 
the  very  same  lessons  as  the  inspired  word.  Meanwhile 
I  observe  that  the  lessons  thusinculcatedbyourSaviour 
seem  to  justify  us  in  setting;  before  usa  hic^h  aim  in  our 
upper  educational  institutions.  Ourobject  should  be  not 
the  mereutilitarianoneof  prei/arini^^  youni^mentoobtain 
as  much  as  possible  of  the  money  and  of  the  comforts 
of  this  present  world,  but  it  oui^ht  to  be  to  impart  a 
knowledge  of  the  works  of  (lod  in  nature,  "  wliich  are 
to  be  sought  outofall  them  that  have  pleasure  therein," 
and  to  cultivate  and  reline  the  mind  by  the  higher 
forms  of  literature  and  of  art.  I  too  am  a  utilitarian 
in  a  sense  ;  but  the  good  I  seek  to  accomplish  is  noth- 
ing less  than  training  and  elevating  the  powers  with 
which  God  has  endowed  us.  I  will  return  to  this  sub- 
ject. 

Secondly,  \\i:  are  called  to  consider  the  c;rounds 

WHICH     WE     HAVE    FOR  TRUSTING    IN  (  i(  )D   TH.VT   HE    WILL 

PROVIDE  FOR  OUR  TEMPORAL  WAN  IS. —  "Wherefore,  if 
God  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the  field,  which  to-day  is, 
and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven,  much  more  shall 
he  clothe  you." 

This  is  a  specimen  of  Bible  reasoning.  The  Bible 
speaks  as  "  unto  wise  men,"  and  calls  on  us  to  "judge 
what  it  says."  But  its  reasonings  are  all  brief,  all 
very  conclusive,  but  at  the  same  time  easily  followed. 
Here  in  this  Word  there  are  no  long  and  circuitous 
trains  of  discussion,  difficult  to  pursue  and  in  which 
sophistry  may  lurk.     All  here  is  simple    and  transpa- 


I  2 


rent.     A  child  may  understand  it,  a  savage  may  grasp 
it.     It  sets  forth  a  simple  truth  and  then  draws  imme- 
diately the  proper  conclusion.     Take  as  an   example, 
"  If  God  spared  not  his  own  Son  but  gave    him    freely 
to  the  death  for  us" — here    is    the     premise  and  the 
inference  follows,  "how  will  he  not  with  him  also  freely 
o-ive  us  all  things."     Of  the  same  character  is  the  ars^u- 
ment  in  the  text.     Preaching  as  he  was    on  the  moun- 
tain, he  points  to  the  fowls  of  the  air  which  may  at  the 
time  have  been  fluttering  around  him,  and  to  the  lilies 
which    may    have  been  growing  at  his  feet,  and  if,  he 
says,  God  so  cares  for  the  fowls  will  he  not  provide  food 
and  sustenance  for  the  children  of  men  ;  if  he  so  clothe 
the  grass  of  the  fields  will  he  not  much    more   provide 
clothino-  for   those    who   have  immortal  souls    made  at 
first  in  his  own  image.     If  God,  he  says,  "  so  clothe  the 
grass  of  the  field  which  to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast 
into  the  oven."     There  is  an  allusion  here  to  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  Jews  heated  their  ovens.     These  ovens 
were  made  by  excavating  a  hole  in  the  earth  and  pa- 
ving the  bottom  with  stones ;  they  were  as  a  traveller 
tells  us,  "  heated  by  putting  wood  or  dry  grass  into  the 
oven,  and  when  heated  the  ashes   were  removed,  and 
the  bread  was  placed  on  the  heated  stones."     Such  was 
the  use  to  which  the  grass  was  often  and    legitimately 
enough  put.     The  grass  is  seen  growing  to-day  clothed 
in  beauty  and  to-morrow  it  is  burning  in  the  oven;  yet 
(iod  knowing  all  the  while  the  use  to  which    the  plant 
might  be  turned,  did  thus  beautify  and  adorn    it.     It  is 
a  proof  and  illustration  of  the  watchful  care  which  God 
takes  of  all  his  works.     The  works  which  are  the  most 
perishing,  those  which  we  might  regard  as  the  meanest 


13 

and  most  Insignificant,  those  wliich  we  trampl(!  iindcr 
our  feet  and  destroy,  even  these  have  had  infinite  pains 
bestowed  on  them.  ( iod  does  nothin^^  in  a  careless  or 
neg-ligent  manner,  everything  which  comes  from  Ood 
is  worthy  of  liim,  we  see  that  it  is  God's  workmanship. 
The  argument  is  irresistible,  the  lesson  comes  home  at 
once  to  us.  Every  bird  we  hear  carolling  its  song  for 
the  very  pleasure  of  it  on  the  tree  or  in  the  air,  every 
llower  that  we  see  expanding  its  petals  in  the  fields  or 
garden,  is  rebuking  our  want  of  faitii  and  confidence  in 
God,  and  as  it  were  saying  "  If  God  take  such  care  of 
me,  will  He  not  much  more  take  care  of  you."  Ye 
are  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows,  of  more  value 
than  all  the  grass  of  the  field.  Ye  have  a  body  that  is 
fearfully  and  wonderfully  made,  made  even  with  a  more 
amazing  skill  than  the  lilies  of  the  field.  The  lilies  of 
the  field  are  arrayed  In  greater  splendor  than  Solomon 
ever  was,  and  Solomon's  body  and  ever)^  man's  frame 
is  more  wonderfully  made  than  the  loveliest  plant  that 
ever  adorned  meadow  or  mountain.  Surely  the  God 
who  made  that  goodly  frame  will  also  feed  and  clothe 
it.  Then  that  body  is  but  a  casket  formed  to  contain 
an  infinitely  more  precious  jewel.  That  body  is  the 
tenement  within  which  an  immortal  tenant  dwells  ;  and 
God  will  preserve  that  tabernacle,  if  for  no  other  rea- 
son yet  for  this,  that  within  it  the  soul  dwells.  Then 
that  soul  was  formed  at  first  in  the  image  of  God  in 
order  to  accomplish  a  high  destiny,  and  when  renewed 
by  the  Spirit  of  God  it  will  yet  fulfil  that  end.  And  ye, 
the  disciples  of  Christ,  ye  have  been  redeemed  at  a 
great  price,  not  with  corruptible  things,  such  as  silver 
and  gold,  but  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ.     There 


14 

is  a  sense  in  which  man  cannot  think  too  lowly  of  him- 
self, there  is  a  sense  in  which  he  is  lower  than  the 
sparrow,  lower  than  the  grass  cast  into  the  oven.  That 
sparrow  has  not  sinned  against  its  maker,  that  grass 
has  not  fallen  short  of  the  glory  of  God,  both  have  ful- 
filled the  end  of  their  existence.  But  it  cannot  be  so 
said  of  you  or  of  me.  In  this  sense  man  cannot  think 
too  lowly  of  himself,  or  be  too  much  impressed  with 
his  sinfulness  or  vileness.  But  in  another  sense,  he 
cannot  think  too  highly  of  himself — ye  are  of  more 
value  than  many  sparrows,  and  you  cannot  think  too 
highly  of  the  worth  of  that  soul  which  was  formed  at 
first  in  the  likeness  of  God,  of  that  soul  for  which  Christ 
died.  In  this  sense  man  is  not  at  liberty  to  think  mean- 
ly of  himself  as  if  he  were  no  better  than  a  plant  or  a 
beast.  He  is  of  more  value  than  all  the  beasts  or 
plants  of  the  earth,  of  more  value  than  the  sun  and 
moon  and  all  the  stars  of  heaven  ;  for  when  all  living 
beings  have  died  and  the  heavenly  bodies  have  been 
changed  as  a  garment  thrown  aside  when  it  has  ful- 
filled its  purpose,  this  soul  shall  be  in  its  youth,  its  in- 
fancy, still  with  an  eternity  before  it.  This  soul  is 
reckoned  of  such  value  by  the  Son  of  God,  that  rather 
than  it  should  perish  he  left  the  bosom  and  the  glory 
of  the  Father  in  heaven,  and  came  to  this  earth  to  suffer 
ignominy,  sorrow  and  death.  Rest  assured,  oh  ye  of  little 
faith,  that  if  God  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the  field,  whose 
beauties  last  but  for  a  day,  much  more  will  he  make 
provision  for  you  and  your  wants. 

Not  my  friends  that  ye  are  on  this  account  to  give 
u])  all  work  and  exertion  in  the  ihoiiglu  that  God  will 
provide  for  you.     This  would  be  to   per\ert  and  abuse 


the  text.  True  the  fowls  of  the  air  sow  not,  neitlier  do 
they  reap  or  gather  into  larns,  still  even  they,  accord- 
ing as  God  hath  taught  them  by  the  instincts  which  he 
hath  planted  within  them,  are  at  pains  to  secure 
their  food,  "That  which  thou  givestthem  they  gather." 
True,  the  lilies  of  the  field  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin, 
and  yet  they  draw  nourishment  from  the  air  and  from 
the  earth.  And  just  as  the  fowls  of  the  air  are  up  in 
the  morning  and  are  active,  just  as  the  plants  of  the 
ground  are  busy  all  the  sunshine  day,  drawing  in  suste- 
nance, so  ye  too,  of  more  value  than  these,  are  to  be  ac- 
tive in  the  exercise  of  the  faculties  which  God  has  given 
youand  diligentinyourcallings.  The  Apostle  is  at  great 
pains  to  shew  that  Christians,  because  they  are  Christ- 
ians, are  not  at  liberty  to  neglect  industry,  or  to  sup- 
pose that  God  will  feed  them  without  the  use  of  means: 
I  Thess.  IV.  II,  and  that  "  ye  study  to  be  quiet  and  to 
do  your  own  business,  and  to  work  with  your  hands  as 
we  commanded  you."  And  again,  2  Thess.  hi.  10, 
"  For  even  when  we  w^ere  with  you  this  we  command- 
ed you,  that  if  any  would  not  work,  neither  should  he 
eat."  "  For  we  hear  that  there  are  some  which  walk 
among  you  disorderly,  working  not  at  all,  but  are  busy- 
bodies.  Now  them  that  are  such,  we  command  and 
exhort  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  with  (piietness, 
they  work  and  eat  their  own  bread."  And  what  then 
it  may  be  asked,  are  we  warned  against  l)y  our  Lord 
in  this  passage  ? 

We  are  my  friends,  warned  against  a  spirit  of  unbe- 
Hef,  we  are  exhorted  to  cherish  a  sj)irit  of  confidence. 
Christ  would  deliver  us  from  a  spirit  of  anxiety.  The 
fowls  of  the  air  gather  their  food,  but  they  have  no 


l6 

fcelino^  of  anxiety  while  they  do  so.  The  Hlles  of  the 
field  draw  nourishment  from  the  field  and  the  air,  but 
meanwhile  they  are  not  oppressed  with  fears  as  to  the 
future.  Much  more  should  ye,  were  it  not  that  your 
faith  is  so  little,  put  confidence  in  God. 

But  oh,  how  many  are  there  who  are  bowed  down 
all  the  day,  because  of  a  burden  of  care  lying  on  them. 
What  shall  I  eat,  what  shall  I  drink,  and  wherewithal 
shall  I  be  clothed  ?  These  are  the  anxious  questions 
that  are  ever  pressing  themselves  on  them,  and  cra- 
ving for  an  answer.  And  because  of  them,  there  are 
many  who  cannot  enjoy  the  bounties  which  God  has 
bestowed,  for  they  are  always  afraid  that  they  may  be 
taken  from  them.  It  is  sunshine  at  present ;  but  may 
not  the  clouds  return  after  the  rain  and  descend  in 
storm  and  tempest  ?  And  what  is  to  be  the  issue  of 
all  this  ?  Am  I  to  have  health  or  distress,  prosperity 
or  adversity,  a  lengthened  life  or  a  speedy  death. 
Now,  a  believer  in  Christ  has  a  means  of  allaying  all 
these  apprehensions.  He  can  say,  I  leave  all  these 
things  with  my  God.  My  concern  is  this,  in  whatever 
state  I  am  therewith  to  be  content ;  but  what  my  state 
may  be  or  should  be^  that  is  not  my  concern,  but  God's. 
My  anxiety  should  be  simply  to  be  in  the  path  of  duty, 
but  as  to  what  should  befall  me  in  that  path,  I  leave 
with  I  lim  who  cares  for  us.  It  is  thus  that  the  believer 
lays  his  burden  on  Him  who  is  able  to  bear  it,  and  finds 
how  comfortable  it  is  to  obey  the  Lord's  command,  "  Be 
careful  for  nothing,  but  in  every  thing  by  prayer  and 
supplication  with  thanksgiving,  make  known  your 
re(|uests  unto  God." 


There  may  be  some  before  me  who,  as  knowiiiL^that 
the  clays  of  their  education  are  now  over,  and  that  they 
must  choose  a  profession  and  aet  for  themselves,  may 
be  feelino^  anxious  about  themselves  and  the  future — I 
would  address  myself  to  them  ere  I  close. 
'  Thirdly,  we    are  called  to  consider  thai   if  Cjod 

so  CLOTHE    THE    IJODIES  OF     IHS    I'Ki  )1>LE,  MICH   MokK    WllA. 

HE  CLOTHE  THEIR  SOULS. — This  is  not  the  direct  lesson 
taught  in  the  text,  but  it  arises  directly  out  of  it.  The 
argument  is,  if  God  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the  field, 
which  is  of  comparatively  little  value,  much  more  will 
he  provide  clothing  for  his  people,  who  are  of  more 
value.  But  the  argument  needs  only  to  be  carried  out 
a  step  farther  to  take  this  form:  if  God  thus  clothe 
the  bodies  of  his  people,  much  more  will  he  clothe  their 
souls  with  heavenly  graces. 

And  these  souls  of  ours  need  to  be  clothed.  The 
plant  once  of  a  graceful  form,  and  clothed  with 
the  richest  hues,  but  now  bent,  broken  by  the  wind, 
bemired  in  the  dust,  all  this  is  the  emblem  of  the  soul 
formed  in  the  very  image  of  God,  and  arrayed  with  a 
brighter  glory  than  the  lily,  but  now  fallen  from  its  first  es- 
tate, broken,  and  torn,  and  polluted  by  sin.  The  body  late- 
ly in  the  vigor  and  bloom  of  health,  but  now  malmiid, 
diseased,  this  is  the  emblem  of  the  soul  once  holy  and 
righteous,  but  now  lying  under  the  judgments  of  heaven 
and  blotted  with  foul  lusts.  Ah,  how  like  is  that  soul 
to  the  grass  which  has  been  cut  down,  and  which  is 
about  to  be  cast  into  the  oven — that  soul  has  been  cut 
off  from  its  God,  the  source  of  all  spiritual  life  ;  already 
has  the  life  ceased  to  circulate  in  it,  and  it  is  ready  to 
be  cast  into  the  fire  that  is  not  quenched.     Can    it  in- 


deed  be  that  this  soul  is  to  grow  and  to  flourish  once 
more  upon  its  stalk  ?  Can  it  be  that  this  soul  already 
in  the  grasp  of  death,  is  to  walk  forth  in  newness  of 
life.  "Son  of  man,  can  these  bones  live  ?"  "Oh  Lord, 
thou  knowest."  Oh  yes,  God  knew  it  from  the  begin- 
ning, and  blessed  be  God  he  has  revealed  it  to  us. 
*'  Oh  Israel,  thou  hast  destroyed  thyself,  but  in  God 
is  thy  help  found."  So  great  value  did  he  set  on  these 
souls  that  he  sent  his  Son  from  heaven  to  save  them 
from  everlastincr  death. 

Christ's  work  when  on  earth  was  a  work  of  salva- 
tion. They  brought  to  him  the  sick,  the  maimed,  and 
the  blind,  and  he  healed  them  all.  If  you  had  accom- 
panied Christ  on  some  of  his  pilgrimages  when  on  earth, 
what  a  glorious  sight  would  you  have  seen  :  not  indeed 
such  a  sight  as  this  world  admires,  when  it  applauds 
the  warrior,  with  strong  and  healthy  men  before  him, 
and  whom  it  is  his  pride  and  glory  to  cut  down  and 
destroy  ;  you  would,  if  you  had  followed  Christ,  have 
seen  a  far  different,  but  a  far  more  glorious  sight. 
You  would  have  seen  before  him,  on  the  way  by  which 
he  was  to  pass,  the  road  covered  with  couches  with  the 
sick  laid  out  upon  them,  and  you  would  have  seen  the 
dumb,  when  they  could  not  speak,  striving  to  give  ex- 
pression to  their  woes  by  their  earnest  struggles,  and 
you  would  have  heard  the  blind,  when  they  could  not 
see  him,  crying  to  be  taken  to  him.  This  was  the 
scene  before  him  ;  and  behind  him  after  he  had  passed, 
were  the  sick  bearing  their  couches,  and  the  lame  leap- 
ing like  the  harts,  and  the  dumb  singing  his  praises, 
and  the  l)lin(l  looking  after  him  with  joyful  eyes,  and 
the  lunatics  in  their  right  mind,  and   those  lately    dead 


in  tlic  cml)races  of  their  tViciuls.  Yes.  tliese  were  the 
fruits  that  lollowed  Christ's  visits  wherever  he  went. 
And  he  is  Jesus  Christ,  the  same  yesterday,  to-day  and 
forever.  His  office,  his  preroL^ative.  is  still  to  seek  and 
to  save  that  which  is  lost.  lie  is  in  this  world  now  by 
his  Spirit  as  he  once  was  in  his  bodily  presence.  He 
is  not  to  be  discerned  by  any  ext('rnal  splendour,  "  the 
kingdom  of  God  cometh  not  by  observation."  Hut  still 
ye  may  discern  him  by  the  eye  of  faith.  Before  him 
are  persons  afflicted  with  all  manner  of  soul  maladies: 
some  under  the  power  of  wild  passions.  b\'  which  they 
are  led  captive  at  pleasure,  some  covered  all  over  with 
the  leprosy  of  vice;  all  of  them  blind  to  the  perception  of 
spiritual  beauty,  and  deaf  to  the  voice  of  God  addressed 
to  them.  Wherever  Christ  LToes  the  wa\-  is  strewn 
with  such.  And  wherever  he  goes  he  leaves  behind 
him  traces  of  his  presence.  Before  him  as  he  marches 
through  our  w^orld  are  the  blind,  the  deaf,  the  dying 
and  the  dead ;  and  l)ehind  him  are  the  seeing,  the 
hearing,  the  living,  the  li\ely  and  the  loving.  "  The 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  (}od  is  upon  me  because  the  Lord 
hath  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings  unto  the 
meek,  he  hath  sent  me  to  bind  up  the  broken  hearted, 
to  proclaim  liberty  to  the  captive,  and  the  opening  of 
the  prison  to  them  that  are  bound,  and  to  proclaim  the 
acceptable  year  of  the  Lord." 

Not  only  is  the  soul  once  dead  matle  alive  in  this 
work,  it  is  beautified  and  adorned.  "  I  will  be  as  the 
dew^  unto  Israel,  he  shall  grow  as  the  lil)'  and  cast 
forth  his  roots  as  Lebanon,  his  branches  shall  spread 
and  his  beauty  shall  be  as  the  olive,  and  his  smell  as 
Lebanon.     They  that  dwell  under  his  shadow  shall  re- 


20 

turn,  they  shall  revive  as  the  corn  and  grow  as  the 
vine,  the  scent  thereof  shall  be  as  the  vine  of  Leba- 
non." '*  Shall  not  he  who  so  clothes  the  grass  of  the 
fickl.  also  clothe  you,  oh  ye  of  little  faith."  And  the 
garment  with  which  the  Father  clothes  his  beloved 
child,  to  the  envy  and  spite  of  his  beloved  brethren,  is  a 
party  colored  one.  Yes,  if  ye  have  faith  but  as  a  grain 
of  mustard  seed,  you  will,  by  the  vital  power  which  is 
imparted,  be  clothed  with  graces  of  many  a  hue,  each 
lovely  in  itself,  and  lovely  in  the  place  it  has  to  occupy  ; 
there  will  be  the  brighter  colours,  the  blue,  the  pink, 
and  the  orange  of  faith  and  confidence  and  hope,  ming- 
ling with  the  darker,  but  not  less  lovely  colours,  v/ith 
the  red,  the  purple,  and  the  olive  of  penitence,  humility 
and  patience,  and  the  whole  lightened  and  brightened, 
by  what  is  alter  all  the  pure  beam  of  heaven,  by  the 
pure  white  light  of  love,  coming  direct  and  unbroken 
from  Him  who  is  Light  and  Love. 

Yes,  brethren,  our  souls  need  to  be  beautified.  They 
need  not  only  to  be  renewed,  they  need  to  be  adorned. 
There  are  some  Christian  men  and  women  who  are 
under  the  influence  of  true  faith  and  steady  principle, 
but  they  are  not  amiable.  They  are  cross,  or  peevish, 
or  violent,  or  stubborn.  Such  persons  need  to  be 
clothed,  that  they  may  become  not  only  good,  but  lovely, 
— as  the  lily  is  lovely.  Brethren,  watch  and  pray,  live 
and  labor,  that  ye  may  be  thus  lovely.  "  Whose  adorn- 
ing, let  it  not  be  that  outward  adorning  of  plaiting 
the  hair,  and  of  wearing  of  gold,  or  of  putting  on  appa- 
rel, but  let  it  be  the  hidden  man  of  the  heart,  in  that 
which  is  not  corruptible,  even  the  ornament  of  a  meek 


2  I 


and  quiet  spirit,  wliicli  is  in  tlic  si^lu  of  Cod  of^rcat 
price." 

My  friends,  this  world  of  ours  is  hut  a  nurscr\- — a 
place  of  nurture,  where  we  are  to  he  nurtured  and  then 
transplanted  into  the  paradise  ahove.  These  (lowers 
around  us  have  their  beauty  but  for  a  day  ;  but  it  is 
different  with  the  souls  which  are  beinj^^  adorned  by 
the  spirit  of  God  ;  they  are  to  bloom  forever  in  a  better 
land,  where  are  no  winds  to  bliirht,  no  storms  to  de- 
stroy.  We  have  seen  that  all  plants  of  the  earth 
are  formed  after  a  model.  It  is  the  same  with  the 
spiritual  plants  of  our  heavenly  Father's  planting-. 
They  are  all  formed  after  the  model  of  Him  who  is  ex- 
pressively called  the  Plant  of  Renown.  Each  branch, 
each  leaf,  of  this  Tree  of  Life  is  an  imao;e  of  the  entire 
tree.  It  is  thus  that  we  are  to  grow  in  likeness  to  Him, 
till  we  can  say  and  sing,  "  I  will  gready  rejoice  in  the 
Lord,  my  soul  shall  be  joyful  in  my  God,  for  he  hath 
clothed  me  with  the  garments  of  salvation,  he  hath 
covered  me  w^ith  the  robe  of  righteousness,  as  a  bride- 
groom decketh  himself  with  ornaments,  and  as  a  bride 
adorneth  herself  with  her  jewels.  For  as  the  earth  l)ring- 
eth  her  bud,  and  as  the  garden  causeth  the  thin<^s  that  are 
sown  in  it  to  spring  forth,  so  the  Lord  God  will  cause 
righteousness  and  praise  to  spring  forth  before  all  the 
nations." 

The  practical  conclusion  is  drawn   in   the   text. 
Let  us  briefly  notice  it — Fourthly,  let  us  reirke  our 

UNBELIEF,    "  Oh     ye     OF  LITfLE  FAITH." It    Is  a  want  of 

faith,  or  at  least  a  weakness  of  faith,  which  leads  us  to 
be  overwhelmed  with  worldly  anxieties.  If  God  were 
to  come  to  a  wise  man  and  sav   "  I  will    allow    \ou    to 


rc^i-ulatc  vour  lot  as  vou  ijlease,  have  healtli  as  loner  as 
you  wish  to  have  it,  ancl  wealth  as  much  as  you  choose 
to  set  your  heart  upon;"  if  God  were  to  come  to  a 
wise  man  and  make  this  offer,  the  wise  man  would  cer- 
tainly decline  it ;  and  the  wiser  the  man,  he  would  be 
the  more  resolute  in  refusing  it ;  for  if  he  knows  him- 
self— in  any  measure  as  he  ought — he  must  be  aware 
that  in  choosing  earthly  blessings  he  might  lose  heaven- 
ly blessings,  that  in  attending  to  the  comfort  of  the 
body,  he  might  make  shipwreck  of  his  immortal  soul. 
But  God  does  not  place  such  an  offer  within  our  power. 
Thanks  be  to  his  wisdom  and  love,  he  keeps  this 
power  in  his  own  hands.  And  where  else  could  we 
leave  it  so  safely,  so  comfortably,  as  in  the  hands  of 
him  who  sees  the  end  from  the  beginning,  and  who 
loves  us  with  an  everlasting  love?  And  surely  if  we 
have  been  able  to  commit  to  him  our  souls  and  our 
eternal  welfare,  we  may  commit  to  him  our  bodies  and  our 
temporal  well  being  the  few  years  we  are  on  the  earth. 
And  we  may  rest  assured  that  if  God  has  given  us  the 
greater  gift,  the  greatest  which  he  could  give  to  man, 
the  gift  of  his  Son,  he  will  with  him  also  freely  give  us 
all  things.  It  is  thus  the  Apostle  reasons:  "If God 
spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  gave  him  freely  to  the 
Death  for  us,  will  lie  not  with  him  also  freely  give  us 
all  things." 

And  then  as  to  spiritual  gifts  we  need  to  rebuke  our 
evil  heart  of  unbeli(;f  We  live  not  only  beneath  our 
boundcn  duties,  we  live  beneath  our  promised  privile- 
ges. We  are  satisfied  with  lesser,  when  we  might  have 
larger,  measurers  of  grace.  God  does  not  say  anywhere 
in  his  Word  that  w(!  miohthave  the  lower,  and  not  the 


23 

higher  attainments.  If  our  desires  aiul  expectations 
were  larger,  our  supplies  would  he  more  ahundant. 
"Ye  have  not  ])ecause  ye  ask  not."  "  He  it  according 
to  your  laith,"  is  the  |)romise.  and  we  have  so  little  he- 
cause  we  have  so  little  failh.  " 'I'hou  shouldst  have 
smitten  five  or  six  times,"  said  the  prophet  Mlisha  to 
Joash,  king  of  Israel,  when  he  put  the  arrow  of  the 
Lord's  deliverance  into  his  hand  and  hade  him  shoot, 
and  he  smote  only  thrice  and  stax'ed.  "  You  should 
have  shot  five  or  six  times,"  said  the  prophet.  And  so 
I  say  to  you,  you  should  have  asked  more  than  you 
have  done,  and  more  would  have  been  given  you.  Oh 
that  we,  the  beggars  and  suppliants,  hatl  but  a  very 
little  of  that  earnestness  which  Christ,  the  Benefactor, 
has  in  pressing  the  gift  upon  us.  Your  supply  from 
that  flowing  fountain  will  be  in  proportion  to  the  size 
of  the  vessel  you  take  with  you  ;  your  portion  at  this 
spiritual  feast  will  be  as  you  open  your  mouth 
to  receive  it.  '*  Come  now  and  prove  me,  saith 
the  Lord,  and  see  if  I  will  not  open  the  windows  of 
heaven  and  pour  down  a  blessing,  so  that  there  will  not 
be  room  to  receive  it." 


(i.)  Gentlemen  of  the  Graduating  Class — You 
have  for  the  last  few  years  been  studying  at  a  college 
which  aims  at  nothing  less  than  cultivating  and  enlarg- 
ing the  minds  of  the  youth  committed  to  its  care. 
God  has  so  constituted  his  creatures,  animate  and 
inanimate,  that  they  can  be  improved  and  are  expected 
to  be  improved  by  human  agency — which  cannot  be 
more  nobly  employed  than  in  studying  and  adorning  the 


24 

Divine  workmanship.  The  gardener  seizes  that  Hly, 
beautiful  even  in  the  marsh,  and  he  transplants  it  into 
his  garden,  and  it  grows  with  more  luxuriance  and 
sends  forth  a  richer  fragrance.  So  we  would  in  a 
college  like  this  lay  hold  of  the  more  gifted  minds  of 
the  country,  and  raise  them  to  as  high  a  state  of  refine- 
ment as  possible,  by  means  of  the  highest  literature  of 
the  ancient  and  modern  worlds,  and  the  highest  science 
of  modern  times.  We  do  not  pretend  here  to  make  you 
merchants,  or  lawyers,  or  farmers,  or  theologians,  or 
physicians,  but  we  give  such  a  training  that,  whatever 
be  the  profession  to  which  you  turn,  you  will  find  your- 
selves with  formed  and  confirmed  powers  of  applica- 
tion which  will  continue  with  you  through  life,  and  in 
possession  of  varied  knowledge  which  may  aid  you  in 
your  pursuits,  and  furnish  enjoyments  of  a  high  kind 
in  the  midst  of  your  professional  solicitudes.  That  has 
been  the  aim  of  all  the  discipline  here,  of  the  old 
studies  which  have  stood  the  test  of  time,  and  of  the 
new  studies  which  have  given  proof  that  they  are 
worthy  of  being  placed  along  side  of  them.  And  I 
may  take  the  opportunity  of  saying,  that  we  have  no 
intention  whatever  in  this  college  of  discarding  the 
old  branches,  which  braced  the  minds  of  our  forefathers 
and  made  them  men  of  courage  and  power.  We  have 
no  idea  of  giving  the  iniprimaticr  of  our  Degree  to 
persons,  as  supposed  to  be  educated  gentlemen,  who, 
as  not  being  able  to  translate  an  ordinary  Latin  or 
Greek  author,  are  cut  off  from  the  literature  and  the 
very  history  of  the  past.  We  mean  too,  that  the  minds 
of  our  young  men  should  be  strengthened  by  the  study 
of  a  competent  amount  of  mathematics,  which,  besides 


25 

being  the  grand  Instrument  of  investigation  in  certain 
of  the  physical  sciences,  is  more  fitted  than  any  other 
study  to  cure  that  wandering  and  dissipation  which  is 
the  ruin  intellectually  of  so  many  bright  youths.  Philo- 
sophy too,  especially  the  philosophy  of  the  mind  of 
man,  has  ever  had  a  high  place  and  will  continue  to 
have  a  high  place  in  this  institution,  were  it  only  to 
counteract  the  materialistic  spirit  of  the  times,  and 
because  it  opens  to  us  a  far  nobler  part  of  God's 
workmanship  than  the  lilies  of  the  field  or  the  stars  of 
heaven.  But  in  this  college  we  are  open  to  receive 
light  from  every  quarter,  and  are  prepared  to  admit 
history,  and  modern  literature,  and  every  branch  of 
true  science.  We  wish  it  to  be  understood  that  we 
mean  every  graduate  of  ours  to  be  an  educated 
gentleman,  who  has  been  trained  in  language  and 
literature,  in  science  and  philosophy,  and  who  has  some 
acquaintance  with  the  past  and  present.  We  have  a 
hope  too  that  by  means  of  these  Fellowships  we  shall 
raise  a  select  body  of  scholars,  who  will  set  forth  on 
independent  and  original  research,  and  dive  down  into 
the  depths  of  this  subject  and  that  subject,  thence  to 
draw  exhausdess  treasures  for  the  enriching  of  the 
world,  and  to  reflect  credit  on  the  college  which  trained 
them. 

We  trust  as  to  all  of  you  that  you  have  received 
benefits,  in  the  form  of  knowledge  and  habits  of  appli- 
cation, to  go  with  you  wherever  you  go,  and  condnue 
with  you  through  life.  This  will  hold  good,  I  trust,  even 
of  branches  to  the  study  of  which  you  may  not  choose  to 
return  in  your  future  lives — the  means  may  disappear 
because   the    end  has   been  secured — the   scaffolding 


26 

may  be  taken  down  but  the  building  remains — the 
stalks  may  be  neglected  for  the  grain  has  been 
trarnered  in  your  minds.  But  while  I  say  so,  I  feel 
myself  required  to  add,  that  in  order  to  retain  the  full 
cTood,  you  must  continue  to  prosecute  some  of  these 
studies,  and  this  according  to  some  system  arranged, 
each  one  for  himself  and  to  suit  his  position  and  his 
pursuits.  And  if  you  are  to  do  so,  you  are  not  to 
abandon  them  now  in  the  hope  of  resuming  them  at 
any  time.  If  you  yield  to  this  temptation  you  will  be 
astonished  to  fmd  how  soon  you  have  forgotten  what 
you  learned;  and  the  irksomeness  of  re-learning  will  be 
a  formidable  barrier  in  the  way  of  resuming  the  study; 
and  much  of  what  you  have  gained  with  such  labor 
will  be  lost  forever. 

The  class  now  before  me  is  the  largest  that  ever 
graduated  in  this  college.  It  contains  as  many  bright 
and  promising  youths  as  any  class  which  old  Nassau 
has  sent  forth  from  her  walls.  Your  Alma  Mater  will 
watch  over  your  future  career  with  Intense  interest — 
with  hope  not  unmlngled  with  anxiety;  will  rejoice  to 
hear  of  you  prospering  in  this  world,  healthy,  happy; 
but  will  rejoice  ten  thousand  times  more  when  she 
hears  of  you,  whether  in  prosperity  or  adversity,  being 
good  and  doing  good ;  and  she  will  shed  a  silent  but 
sad  and  bitter  tear  should  she  hear  of  any  of  you 
declining  from  the  paths  of  rectitude  and  purity.  But 
let  me  tell  you  that  this  mother's  love  is  somewhat  of 
a  jealous  love.  She  will  be  disappointed  if  you  forget 
her;  if  you  do  not  come  up  from  time  to  time  to  visit 
her  on  this  pleasant  height  on  which  she  dwells,  to 
revive  old  recollections  in  your  bosoms,  and  make  her 


27 

feel  as  if  she  were  yet  young,  when  she  sees  her  boys 
gathering  around  her,  and  listens  to  them  as  they  tell 
with  their  own  lips  what  they  are  doing,  and  what  God 
is  doing  for  them  and  by  them.  In  short,  as  she  loves 
you  with  a  mother's  affection,  she  expects  you  to  love 
her  in  return  with  a  filial  reorard. 

(2.)  But  some  may  be  saying  to  me,  as  it  were  :  We 
have  to  look  to  other  things  as  well  as  mental  improve- 
ment and  aesthetic  cultivation.  We  have  now  to  choose 
a  profession  in  life,  or  we  have  now  to  enter  upon  the 
hard  duties  of  a  profession.  And  at  such  a  season 
ye  should  be  asking  counsel  of  God,  that  ye  may  be 
kept  from  the  path  which  leads  downwards  to  sin,  to 
ruin  or  hell,  and  that  ye  may  be  guided  into  the  path 
of  honor,  of  integrity,  of  faith,  of  holiness — towards 
God  and  heaven  and  glory.  What  far  reaching  evils 
may  follow  if  we  neglect  to  ask  direction  from  God  at 
such  a  crisis  !  There  is  a  record  left  us  of  the  error 
which  the  children  of  Israel,  committed  on  their  enter- 
ing the  land  of  Canaan.  The  Gideonites  came  to 
them  declaring  that  they  wen-  froin  a  far  country, 
whereas  they  dwelt  near  at  hand  ;  and  the  men  were 
persuaded  "to  take  of  tlieir  victuals,  and  asked  not 
counsel  of  the  Lord,  and  Joshua  made  peace  with  them," 
which  was  the  source  of  calamities  to  God's  people  for 
ages.  We  may  commit  an  equally  fatal  blunder,  and 
be  readil\-  tempted  to  an  unlioly  compromise  with 
evil,  if,  at  the  critical  periods  of  our  history,  we  neglect 
to  ask  wisdom  from  God.  In  the  ancient  church  there 
was  a  mercy  seat  provided,  and  it  was  one  of  the  privi- 
leges of  the  people  that  their  high  i)ri('st,  wearing  the 
breastplate   on    which   was  written    the    name  of   the 


28 

twelve  tribes,  could,  on  great  national  emergencies, 
enter  Into  the  holiest  of  all,  and  ask  counsel  of  God. 
Blessed  be  the  grace  of  God,  since  the  veil  of  the 
temple  which  hid  the  mercy  seat  has  been  rent  In  twain 
from  top  to  bottom,  there  is  freedom  of  access  to 
every  true  believer  to  a  place  where  he  may  commune 
with  God  and  ask  advice  from  him.  They  who  thus 
ask  counsel  of  God  will  find  that  in  some  way  or  other 
guidance  Is  afforded,  and  that  a  good  man's  steps  are 
ordered  of  the  Lord.  And  having  thus  sought  guidance 
you  may  then  go  on  leaving  all  anxiety  behind,  leaving 
the  issue  with  him  to  whom  the  Issues  belong. 

(3.)  In  religious  Instruction,  I  have  gone  over  with  you 
the  year  before  last,  the  Life  of  our  Lord  In  the  Four 
Gospels,  and  this  last  year,  the  Planting  of  the  Church, 
from  the  resurrection  of  Christ  down  to  the  close  of  the 
first  century,  as  related  in  the  Book  of  Acts,  and  in  cer- 
tain portions  of  the  Epistles.  In  these  courses  I  have 
not  striven  to  make  you  theologians,  but  have  aimed 
simply  at  imparting  such  knowledge  as  would  enable 
you  at  any  time,  week  day  or  Sabbath  day,  to  read  the 
New  Testament  with  greater  profit.  I  hope  to  carry 
those  who  remain  with  us  other  two  years  over  the  Old 
Testament,  and  Into  the  simple  exposition  of  Christian 
Doctrine. 

In  this  last  year's  course  of  lectures  we  have  had  our 
attention  drawn  among  other  things — such  as  the  Evi- 
dences of  Religion — to  the  conversions  detailed  in  the 
New  Testament,  as  to  those  of  the  three  thousand  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost,  of  the  Ethiopian  eunuch,  of  Saul, 
of  Cornelius,  Lydia  and  the  Phillpplan  jailer.  The 
students  had  thus  their  attention  drawn,  from   Sabbath 


29 

to  Sabbath,  and  in  prcj)arin--  for  tlic  recitation  during 
the  week,  to  the  nature  and  necessity  of  refi^ene ration. 
From  the  very  beo-innini;  of  the  year  a  number  of  stu- 
dents, old  and  new,  were  supi)hcating  in  their  th(!n 
rather  thinly  attended  prayermeetingsfor  an  outpouring 
of  the  Spirit.  There  was  an  idea  abroad  that  forages 
past  no  class  had  passed  through  Princeton  College 
without  being  in  the  midst  of  a  revival,  that  no  student 
had  ever  pursued  a  four  years  course  in  our  College, 
without  finding  himself  in  the  heart  of  a  scene  in  which 
friends  were  confessing  sins  and  professing  Christ. 
So  these  students  prayed  on  in  the  midst  of  discour- 
agements— as  if  they  would  take  no  refusal,  and  hoped 
against  hope.  The  Day  of  Prayer  for  Colleges  came 
and  passed  away,  and  the  heaven  was  over  our  head  as 
brass,  and  the  earth  under  us  as  iron.  Meanwhile  a  noble 
and  generous  resolution  of  one  of  the  Classes,  that  they 
would  abstain  from  a  practice  which  would  bring  them- 
selves and  companions  into  temptation,  was  registered 
in  the  annals  of  the  College — I  believe  also  in  the  rec- 
ords of  heaven.  A  blessing  came  not  long  after  on 
the  College,  and  descended  specially  on  that  Class.  It 
visited  first  those  who  had  been  professing  followers  of 
Christ,  but  who  were  not  living  worthy  of  their  profes- 
sion. Then  it  spread  to  others,  who  had  previously 
manifested  no  interest  In  religion.  It  appeared  at  a 
time  when  the  students  were  busily  preparing  for  a  ses- 
sional examination,  and  yet  the  examination  did  not 
hinder  the  work  of  God,  nor  did  the  work  of  God  hinder 
the  preparation  for  the  examination.  It  outlived  the 
vacation  that  succeeded,  and  has  continued  through  the 
term  now  closed.     It  has    been  accompanied    with    no 


30 

worldly  demonstrations,  with  no  carnal  excitement  of 
any  kind.  It  has  been  produced  simply  by  the  Word 
read,  or  uttered  by  the  lips  of  those  who  felt  its  power. 
For  the  last  three  months  meetings  for  prayer  have 
been  held  every  night  among  the  students,  and  no 
ordinary  College  room  could  hold  those  who  attended, 
and  we  had  to  throw  open  the  College  Chapel ;  and 
there  have  been  other  meetings  held  every  evening  in 
the  rooms  of  the  students.  Our  strongest  young  men 
have  been  bowed  down  under  a  mastering  power  which 
they  felt  it  in  vain  to  resist.  Some  of  our  youths  of 
brightest  promise,  who  took  the  honors  in  their  classes, 
have  publicly  professed  themselves  followers  of  the 
crucified  one,  and  declared  "  God  forbid  that  I  should 
glory  save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
There  cannot  have  been  fewer  than  one  hundred  who 
have  avowed  that  they  received  a  quickening  or  con- 
verting power  ;  and  I  believe  there  have  been  more. 
Not  a  few  of  those  originally  intended  for  other  pro- 
fessions, have  devoted  themselves  to  the  service  of 
God  in  the  work  of  the  minister  or  missionary,  while  a 
number  have  resolved  to  lead  a  consistent  Christian 
life,  and  promote  religion  in  other  professions  and  walks 
of  life.  I  do  not  deem  it  for  edification  In  this  public 
place  to  enter  Into  farther  details  and  calculations  ;  all 
who  have  been  engaged  in  the  work  W'ill  acknowledge 
that  I  am  understatlnof  the  facts  rather  than  exaerirera- 
ting.  There  will  doubtless  come  trials  and  temptations, 
to  show  how  much  is  i/enuine,  and  how  much  Is  ficti- 
tious  in  this  w^ork. 

But  this  I    must  say,  before  I    part   with    you,  that  I 
fear  there  are  some  here,  some  in  the  class  now  specially 


before  me,  who  have  passed  through  these  scenes  with- 
out being  benefitted  by  them.  The  hearts  of  others 
have  been  melted,  but  your  h(.'art  has  continued  liard- 
ened  as  the  rock  you  have  seen  rcniainln^^  in  the  midst 
of  the  cultivated  field,  hard  and  barren  while  all  around 
is  fruitful.  May  not  this  last  appeal  reach  some  so 
situated  and  melt  them  down,  as  others  have  been 
melted,  under  the  power  of  God's  Word  and  Sj>irit. 

And  as  to  those  who  think  they  have  received  good, 
let  them  give  the  glory  to  God,  and  not  take  it  to  them- 
selves. Let  them  keep  humble,  lest  the  great  adver- 
sary tempt  them  through  cherished  pride  to  lose  what 
they  have  gained.  Let  them  daily  feed  upon  the  Word, 
as  the  proper  nutriment  provided  for  a  living  soul. 
Let  them  be  instant  in  prayer,  and  thus  be  continually 
drawing  down  blessings  to  supply  their  continual 
wants. 

In  followinor  out  the  lesson  of  the  text  let  me  remind 
you  finally  that  grace  grows.  If  you  have  no  desire 
to  make  progress,  you  may  have  reason  to  doubt 
whether  you  have  begun  the  journey.  You  conclude 
that  the  tree  is  dead  when  it  is  shoodng  out  nothing 
new,  no  leaves,  no  new  branches,  no  fruit.  In  like 
manner  the  professor  of  religion  may  begin  to  fear 
when  nothing  of  life  or  vigor  appears.  But  let  me  not 
be  misunderstood,  or  understood  as  if  I  asserted  that 
the  believer  is  making  progress  every  instant,  or  always 
making  progress.  No,  there  are  times  in  his  history 
when  he  may  feel  as  if  all  spiritual  life  were  gone,  and 
as  if  every  thing  were  left  withered  and  dead.  But 
even  then  he  is  like  the  tree  in  winter,  with  some  life 
and  substance,  ready  for  the  first  approach  of  Spring, 


32 

"  as  a  tcil  tree  and  as  an  oak  whose  substance  is  in 
them  when  they  cast  their  leaves,  so  the  holy  seed 
shall  be  the  substance  thereof;"  and  the  believer  on  the 
whole  is  makincr  progress — just  as  the  healthy  and 
vigorous  tree  does  from  year  to  year.  The  Christian 
is  like  a  traveler  ascending  a  high  mountain.  On  his 
way  to  the  summit  he  may  meet  with  deep  valleys, 
down  which  he  has  to  descend;  but  still  upon  the  whole 
he  is  mounting  upwards :  so  it  is  with  the  pilgrim 
heavenward  ;  he  may  meet  on  his  journey  with  valleys 
deep  and  dark  as  those  of  Baca  ;  but  he  is  rising  nearer 
and  nearer  to  perfection,  and  as  he  mounts  he  breathes 
a  purer  and  more  ethereal  atmosphere,  and  gains  a 
wider  and  nobler  prospect.  His  course  is  like  that  of 
the  stream  risin^f  in  some  fountain  amono^  the  hills, 
and  finding  its  way  after  receiving  many  accessions 
to  the  ocean :  so  it  is  with  the  believer ;  his  course 
may  often  seem  a  perplexed  or  a  crooked  one,  some- 
times a  backward  one,  but  gathering  experience  as  it 
moves  on,  widening  and  deepening,  till  at  last  it  loses 
itself  in  the  fulness  of  heavenly  perfection.  The  believ- 
er may  not  yet  be  perfect,  but  he  is  going  on  towards 
perfection  ;  and  he  dies  at  last  like  Samson,  amid  the 
glories  of  his  strength,  slaying  in  his  death  the  last  of 
his  spiritual  enemies. 


PUBLISHERS  AND  BOOKSELLERS 


We  shall  issue  in  October  a  New  Edition  of  the 
CARMINA  PRINCETONIA,  much  enlarged,  and 
generally  improved  in  style. 

In  November,  a  work  entided  COMPARATIVE 
RELIGION,  by  J.  C.  Moffat,  D.L3.,  a  neat  i2mo.  vol., 
250  pp. 

In  December,  WHIG  CENTENNIAL  HIS- 
TORY, by  Prof.  H.  C.  Cameron,  in  Paper  and  Cloth 
Binding,  with  tasteful  and  appropriate  embellishments. 


NEW  BOOKS  RECEIVED  AS  SOON  AS  PUBLISHED, 


131^=*  We  are  the  agents  for  Scrihner's  Monthly, 
edited  by  Dr.  J.  G.  Holland  (Timothy  Titcomb),  to  be 
issued  in  October.  Specimen  pages,  &c.,  to  be  seen 
at  our  store,  where  subscription  book  will  be  opened. 


